This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The University of Nebraska at Kearney currently has four faculty supported by the INBRE grant. There are three associates in the Infectious Disease focus and one in the Cell Signaling focus. Dr. Kimberly Carlson is serving as the steering committee representative for the INBRE grant. Dr. Carlson is recently presented her research at the Drosophila Research Conference, San Diego, CA, April, 2005. She has also just had a paper accepted: Spresser, C. R. and Carlson, K. A. Utilization of Drosophila melanogaster for studies of HIV-1 infection. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 2004, In press. Dr. Julie Shaffer presented her research at the North Central Branch of the Entomological Society of America, West LaFayette, IN, March, 2005. Dr. Janet Steele recently presented her findings at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology in San Diego, CA, April 2005. She also received a $2000 grant from the UNK Research Services Council to study the influence of exercise training on cardiac gene expression in rats with diabetes mellitus. Dr. Paul Twigg has been awarded multiple grants from the UNK Research Services Council and the U.S. Department of Agriculture totaling $62,000. He will also be presenting his work at the Plant Biology meeting this summer in Seattle, WA. UNK began the INBRE grant with 7 BRIN scholars, 5 from UNK and 2 from Western Nebraska Community College. One student has left the program to pursue a degree in wildlife conservation. The remaining students are Cole Spressor, Karynn Kucera, Anjeza Pashaj, Cory Ciccone, Lindsay Vivian, and Michael Kling. Cole will graduate in May and is currently looking for a research position at a large university. Karynn will stay at UNK for an additional year to finish her study on diabetes mellitus and exercise training with Dr. Janet Steele. Both Cole and Karynn presented their INBRE research at international meetings in April. The other four students will remain at UNK this summer to work with their faculty mentors on projects ranging from genetics to physiology. Three new students were selected for 2005;Sarah Marshall, Joseph Chiweshe, and Mary Connealy will begin the program this June. During 2004 UNK completed construction on a new animal research facility. This facility is the first research area in our building designed to be used exclusively for animal research and has greatly enhanced Dr. Steele's research program. In addition, our college is currently constructing a new research lab to be used primarily by Dr. Kimberly Carlson and other INBRE faculty and students. We were also able to purchase a real-time PCR machine that will be used in several of the INBRE research projects.